BIO

Lady Tree was born Helen Maud Holt in London, England, in 1863.   She was trained in the classics at Queen’s College.

Tree made her professional West End stage debut in 1883 at the age of 20.   Later that year she married the young Shakespearean actor Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1852-1917) and the two established a partnership that would re-inform classic theater in England.

Tree formally joined her husband’s acting company at the Haymarket Theatre in 1887 and helped him manage the newly restored Her Majesty’s Theatre in 1897.

A witty and sensitive actress in her own right, Tree was especially lauded for her interpretations of Shakespeare’s comedies.   A fixture on the London stage, Tree performed on the boards through 1936.

She first appeared on silent film, in 1916, in a starring role for Ideal See.   She starred in another release in 1920, but did not return to the medium until after the introduction of sound.   By then, in 1930, Tree was playing supporting roles.   She only appeared in 9 films between 1916 and 1936.

As mentioned above, Tree married her husband in 1883 and the couple raised three daughters, two of whom became the actresses Viola Tree (1884-1938) and Iris Tree (1897-1968).   Her grandchildren include the actor David Tree (1915-2009) and the screenwriter Ivan Moffat (1918-2002).

Tree died following surgery in London, in 1937, at the age of 73.

Additional English stage history is available at:

Additional biographical information is available at:

NOTED FILMS

Full filmography at: